Ball of Fire AU
by ScientificAnomaly
Summary: What if Jane's plan hadn't ended as well as he wanted at the end of Ball of Fire?
1. Chapter 1

A little present to **waterbaby134** :)

Thankyou to my beta, **bluecup94**.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

**Red Hot – Alternate Ending.**

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><p>Patrick Jane was not happy. A few hours ago he had been rudely kidnapped and tied up in someone's basement. Of course, he knew the owner of the house and he knew why she had taken him, but one thing he didn't know was how to get out of his cuffs. Normally he was good at unpicking locks, but this one had been the exception. Typical.<p>

He was currently lying on the floor, trying desperately to recover from the electric shocks he had received a few hours ago from a vicious cattle prod that had been his abductor's weapon of choice. He would complain to Lisbon about that later, preferably with a cup of tea. What's more, he was stuck with a decomposing corpse. Although his pocket had produced a pen knife, suitable for unpicking locks, he didn't have enough time to finish the task at hand.

The sound of a hatch being opened brought him out of his thoughts. _Lisbon! _He had never been so happy to see her in his life. She would have the key to unlock his handcuffs. She walked down the stairs to his right without the slightest indication of fear or trepidation. This was not good. Then he noted the person behind him.

"Oh, visiting hours" he remarked, sarcastically. "Hey Lisbon" he greeted, trying to hide the fear in his voice. It was partly his fault that he had been kidnapped and now Lisbon had been too, he couldn't afford to let anything happen to her. He didn't know quite what he felt towards her, but it was more than an average person should feel for their boss, or friend.

"Hands" he turned his head to the woman behind Lisbon who proceeded to walk her over to the support next to him and lock her wrists around it, clicking another pair of handcuffs in place.

"What's the plan Rachel? You get to watch Lisbon die just like you watched your father die?"

"Oh that's right" she stepped back from the now secured pair and looked down at Jane.

Teresa looked worried and let out a startled "What?".

Choosing to ignore her question for now he turned his attention back to his captor. "I'm smelling gasoline, you burning the place down?" he joked, hoping he was very wrong. Fire was not something that people can get out of easily, especially when they're locked in a basement.

"That's right". _Great_ he thought.

"Rachel, think about this for a minute" Lisbon pleaded. She was not about to give up easily, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Oh I have" Rachel insisted turning around to stand by the foot of the stairs.

"Oh she certainly has" he assured his partner.

It was becoming a worrying situation now. Lisbon had always been taught to keep your captors talking, it gave backup longer to arrive and get you all out. "You're never going to get away with it" was the best she could come up with.

Rachel turned around and shrugged her shoulders at the duo. "You'll never know if I do or don't".

Jane looked up from the floor he was sitting on. "Lisbon I'm sorry. This is my fault. I will not let you burn alive as God is my witness"

By now, Lisbon was used to his antics and was pretty sure he was up to something. Jane had told her time and time again that he had no faith, and he knew all too well that she did so why was _he _the one mentioning God at such a delicate time.

Thankfully, Jane did know what he was doing and Rachel had stayed to listen to his little speech. Leaning forward she spoke again. "Goodbye", and with that she retreated back up the stairs.

Lisbon on the other hand could not see the upside in what had just happened. Jane had just aggravated her more, but then again, what was new? "Rachel, Rachel wait!" she shouted trying to attract her attention.

"You're wasting your energy".

"You have a better idea?"

"It just so happens I do" he produced the small knife he had retrieved earlier from the body's pocket.

"Where'd you get that?" Lisbon questioned, not doing well to hide the joy from her voice.

"Him" he pointed with a single finger as he hauled himself up using just his arms as his legs seemed to be of little use. "I was hoping to unlock my handcuffs but, er, no luck". He hated to admit to things he couldn't do.

"Well what are you gonna to do?"

"You're not gonna like it" he confirmed, looking directly into her eyes.

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><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**P.s: I am not a doctor or anything of the sort so I apologise if some parts are not very accurate. **

**Hope you like it. Feel free to tell me if it's terrible. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Red Hot AU Chapter 2**

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><p>"Well, c'mon then" Lisbon urged seconds later. "Out with it". She hated to feel so reliant on other people but over time she had come to trust Jane, no help to his damn 'trust exercises'. She sighed and looked up at him only to grow slightly nervous. He had that twinkle in his eye that came with one of his 'amazing plans' and most of them ended up with someone getting hurt and her in Hightower's office getting told that if he did it again she would be suspended.<p>

"See, I purposely told you that I wasn't going to let you burn alive" he grinned, looking up at her. "So, I'm going to pretend to kill you instead, she'll let her guard down and we can attack".

Lisbon sighed, his plan did sound plausible but she had one small question the she wasn't sure she wanted the answer for. "How are you going to... kill me? Can't you just pretend to knock me out or something?"

"Now that wouldn't be very realistic now would it?" he began, bending down awkwardly to coat his hands in the spilled blood. "C'mere, you can pretend I stabbed you in the neck"

"Oh no, that's just disgusting Jane!" she lurched back as far as she could with the restraints but it wasn't far enough as some of it spilled onto her clean white t-shirt staining it with the bright crimson. "Ugh" it had been done now, she sighed and stepped forward again letting him have his way.

For the next few minutes she had made her feelings quite clear to him about how much she hated his idea and he had replied with the occasional answer, others with a formal grunt to let her know that he had heard her and wasn't ignoring her. "How do I look?" she asked sarcastically looking back up at him.

"Rather... Ill. We really should get you to a hospital Lisbon; I don't think you can last much longer".

"Very funny Jane. You better hope this works or I will kill you myself".

"Well, all you have to do now is scream for help, and hurry up about it. She's probably finished drenching the house by now" his voice wavered.

"W... wh... fine". Lisbon took a large breath in and began to yell to Rachel for help.

It took more than a minute before Jane faintly heard some noise coming from above them. "Shh..." he told her as politely as he could. "I can hear something, act like I killed you, and just keep still" he whispered desperately as he listened closely over Lisbon's shuffling. Footsteps could be heard, and loud ones at that, then the hatch above them opened and light flooded in.

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><p><p>

Rachel ran down the stairs and looked at the scene before her: Jane with a knife in his hands and blood covering a slumped Lisbon. "What did you do?"

"I said I wouldn't let her burn. This way she won't suffer". Rachel ran over to Lisbon in a state of panic and shook her viciously while she remained limp against the support she was cuffed to. Letting out a frustrated moan, Rachel proceeded to walk over to behind the stairs, picking up a small container with large writing on the side.

Gasoline.

Instantly Jane became alert. This was not the way it was supposed to go. She was meant to pick up the cattle prod, get annoyed at him and let Lisbon do all the hard work. Not this. He watched carefully as she turned it upside down and let the liquid flow out. Thankfully, there wasn't much left, but he was sure the little that had been spread could cause a reasonably lit fire. And fires spread, as he soon found out when he heard a match being lit and Rachel retreating back up the stairs, locking it behind her.

"LISBON" he shouted, getting her attention back as she hauled herself up from her position on the floor. "Fire, fire, fire!"

"I'm gonna take a quick guess and say that this wasn't part of your original plan?" _Nothing like a little humour to lighten the mood _she thought after she had spoken.

"She was meant to poke me with her torture stick; I don't deal with fire. 's too unpredictable"

"Calm down Jane" Lisbon reassured him as she looked behind her at the flames as they grew. "Hightower will get us out, and before she does the fire doesn't look like its spreading. Let's just hope it stays that way eh?"

Jane could only come up with a grunt in response.

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><p><p>

15 minutes later and the team had still not found them. The flames were not getting any smaller but were thankfully staying put and not spreading any nearer. Less fortunately, the smoke from it was becoming thicker by the minute.

"J... Jane" Lisbon rasped through her sore throat. "Jane are you-" a series of coughs cut her off as she tried to catch her breath.

He feared for Lisbon's health and had been since the fire started. It was closer to her and she was smaller compared to him, making her more vulnerable. "Yeah, I'm fine. Save your strength and stop talking. You really know... how to pick... your moments." he whispered back. Trying to keep up some friendly banter was hard when he could hardly breathe, but he waited for some clever quip in reply. None came.

She tried to laugh but ended up coughing again only to feel Jane's hand on her shoulder trying his best to calm her. "I tell you that... all day long and... you never-" coughing cut her off again, but this time she couldn't catch her breath. "J-" she gasped, trying to raise her head only to find she couldn't.

"... head up Lisbon" he encouraged, putting his hand under her chin trying to lift her head. In doing so, he found her eyes to be closed and he feared for the worst. Reaching as far as his cuffs would allow, he tried to reach for her neck but his arms just weren't long enough. "Lisbon?... Lisbon?" . Coughing, he let go of her to put a hand over his own mouth and she slumped backwards limply. Seeing her like this with nothing he could do made him feel like a failure. He had told her he would always save her but, today he had failed. A lone tear fell down his face and he let his eyes close.


	3. Chapter 3

T'was pointed out by a reviewer that the name of this fic was wrong. I always seem to mix Red Hot and Ball of Fire up, sorry for the confusion.

**Ball of Fire Chapter 3**

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><p>"Jane"<p>

"Lisbon"

"Jane"

Patrick woke to the anxious shouting of a person he recognised, someone who was here to save him. Upon opening his eyes he found himself to still be in the same place as before. He had secretly hoped that the smoke and flames had taken him as they had done to Lisbon, but he hadn't been that lucky. The sound of someone running down the steps interrupted his thoughts as he lifted his head from its resting place on the now warm support he was chained to.

Hightower.

"Jane, Jane" she mumbled as she ran over to him with her arm over her face trying her best not to breathe in the smoke. "You OK?"

He nodded but looked at Lisbon as his expression turned to that of despair. "I... I couldn't-"a cough cut him off.

"How long Jane?" Hightower mumbled as she began to unlock both their handcuffs.

"Dunno, 20 minutes?" he said as he looked up at her. Coughing again he felt his handcuffs come loose as they dropped to the floor. Hightower turned to help him up but he sternly refused. "Lis-" he coughed, covering his mouth with his hand again, pointing with his other towards Teresa.

"K" Hightower said her throat already sore. She had only been down in the basement for a few seconds and already her lungs were starting to burn. Focussing her attention on her friends, she unlocked Lisbon's handcuffs and hauled her arms around her neck while placing her arms below her knees and back to support her as she lifted her up. Hightower was surprised at how light her friend was as she made her way up the steps, she knew she was short but this was just not healthy, surely. Reaching the top of the stairs she took a quick look back at Jane who was now picking himself up off the floor.

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><p>Outside, Van-Pelt and Cho were pulling up behind Hightower's already parked car. Getting out the car they were immediately drawn to the smoke coming from inside the house. It wasn't much but they figured that was where Hightower had disappeared to. Deciding it was best to wait than to enter, Grace turned to Cho. "Call the rest of the police, maybe Hightower's found them".<p>

"What in there?" Cho pointed towards the house. "Well I better go-"

"Look" Grace squealed as she turned towards the door of the house. Hightower came running out carrying something in her arms and promptly fell to her knees coughing. "Boss" she shouted as she ran towards them.

"I'm ok" Hightower said, coughing some more. "Jane's still inside, get Cho-"

"I know, I know" Van Pelt reassured her as she recalled the information to Cho who took off inside the house. "Is that-"

"Lisbon, yeah help me get her to the car, need to drive. No time for a bus" Madeline said, regaining her composure as she stood up and lifted her friend again. In front of her Van-Pelt ran to their issued SUV and opened the back door, holding it until Madeline clambered in, buckling in the still unconscious Lisbon in the seat next to her, letting her head loll onto her shoulder. She quickly looked over her neck which was covered in drying blood only couldn't find any wound. Closing the door, she was interrupted with more coughing coming from behind her as she turned around and noticed Jane being supported by Cho coming out of the smoke.

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><p>Minutes later all five detectives were seated in their SUV, Jane, still semi-conscious refused to sit anywhere but next to Lisbon and had securely fastened himself in the back seat next to her. Silence filled the car and all that could be heard was the gentle rasping from Lisbon as her lungs tried their best to absorb some much needed oxygen. Feeling her shift, he darted his head towards her looking for any signs of her waking up. "Lisbon". With that Madeline turned her head towards her shoulder in time to see Lisbon's eyes flickering gently. "Hey there" Jane said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. All he was greeted with was a harsh cough, which was soon followed by many more as she tried and failed to catch her breath.<p>

"Lisbon?" Hightower asked, worried as she shifted to allow more room for her friend to breathe.

Only more coughing answered her as her head fell forward, too weak to do much else.

"We're here" called Grace from the driver's seat as they pulled up outside the hospital A&E entrance. "Get them out and I'll go park"

With that, Cho leaped out the passenger side door, yanking the back door open shooing Jane out and unbuckling Lisbon's belt.

All Jane could do was watch as Cho lifted a still coughing Teresa out the car and walked quickly towards the automatic doors.

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><p><strong>TBC... <strong>

Hope you liked it, as always, feedback is always welcome but not compulsory.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ball of Fire. Chapter 4**

"I need help here" Cho yelled to the almost empty department. After waiting a few seconds he shouted again, "I need help!" Finally a woman in green scrubs came running up to him. He looked down at Lisbon still frantically coughing in his arms, her eyes tightly shut.

"What happened?" she asked, shocked as she looked at Lisbon's neck which caused her worry, it being covered in now dry blood.

"Teresa Lisbon, severe smoke inhalation" Cho said, following her as she led him into the trauma bay.

"Lay her down" she pointed to a gurney in the trauma bay as she pressed a button on the wall to call in some more emergency staff. "How did this happen?" the nurse asked as she lowered Teresa's head onto a pillow and put an oxygen mask over her mouth and began looking for an entry wound on her neck.

"The blood isn't hers, she was trapped in a basement fire-" Cho answered quickly. He turned his head after hearing the doors crash open revealing two doctors and another nurse, all of who crowded around Lisbon checking vitals and treating her.

"How long for?" the nurse said, laying her hand on Lisbon's shoulder as she continued to cough harshly, her eyes surveying the room.

"Er... 15 minutes?" Truth was he didn't know. By the time he had got there it had been at least 30 minutes since Lisbon had been taken, and by the look of the fire couldn't have been very far along as it hadn't totally enveloped the basement.

"Thankyou Sir, please go and wait outside, we need room to work" the nurse said, rushed as she inserted a needle into the back of Lisbon's hand.

Cho wanted to argue, demand that she was his boss and he wanted to know how she was, if she would be OK, but he knew he would only get in the way so he excused himself from the trauma room, opening the door and walking back into the waiting room with Hightower and a very worried looking Jane.

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><p>Lisbon didn't know what was happening. One moment she was in that damned basement with Jane and his stupid plan, and the next she was in the back of an SUV, pulling to a stop outside a brightly lit building. Feeling herself being lifted up, she knew that she had never felt more vulnerable in front of her team. She could barely lift her head because the pain in her chest took all the energy from her body, her eyes couldn't focus and she couldn't stop shaking. The movement stopped and she felt herself being lowered onto what felt like a bed, her lungs calmed slightly leaving her throat raw and scratchy. Swallowing, she dared to open her eyes again only to see bright lights in every direction.<p>

"Miss Lisbon" came a kind voice from above her. Looking up she saw a kind looking woman in white scrubs smiling down at her. "Hey there, I hear you're having some trouble breathing?"

'Total understatement' she thought.

Trying to answer her verbally only caused Lisbon to break out into another coughing fit as she felt the mask being lifted off her face being replaced by another. Soon, she felt her wrist being lifted and a quick prick in the back of her hand then a warm liquid being inserted into it. Her eyes soon felt heavy and the weight on her chest loosened as she drifted out of consciousness, not before hearing the doctor once more.

"Get me some more humidified oxygen Jenny" said the doctor pointing to the cupboard in the corner. "And Karl, if that doesn't work, we'll intubate".

She was secretly glad she would probably be unconscious for that, last time she hadn't and it wasn't the most pleasant experience. She had been with Sam Bosco's team at the time, searching a suspect's house. Truth was she hadn't been with the force for very long so she put it down to pure inexperience. At least that was what Bosco had forced her to believe. She was the first to take the stairs, first to open the bedroom door, gun in hand, and the first person to get shot. Thankfully the second was their suspect, but that didn't stop her pain from forcing her to lean heavily against the wall and lower herself to the ground. Soon, the room was buzzing with activity, uniformed officers crowding her asking if she was OK. She couldn't hear anything other than a dull roar over the pain in her chest, and that was all she remembered of being in that house after fading into unconsciousness. She woke briefly in the ER only to find herself unable to breathe and a tube being roughly put down her throat. Waking up again 4 days later, she found the tube still there, obstructing her airway, helping her do something she took for granted yet at the time found extremely difficult, breathing. Later Bosco told her the bullet had hit her lower chest, collapsing her lung, causing a pneumothorax and severe blood loss. She was lucky to have made it to the ER, let alone through surgery. It had since left her with an ugly scar under her left breast which thankfully did not require any special measures cover up and some slight pain in cold weather.

She hadn't ever told anyone on the team about the incident, since it happened before they had been in her team. It would only make them worry about her more than they already did. Anyway, they need someone to look up to, not someone to look out for.

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><p><strong>TBC...<strong>

**Thanks for reading, **

**As always, reviews are welcome but not compulsory, and as for the reviews I've received so far, thankyou. I appreciate it. **

**xJ**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry it's been about a week. No excuses. Just been busy writing another fic and got a little carried away. **

**Ball of Fire Chapter 5.**

"Cho!" said an anxious Jane, leaping up from his chair in the ER waiting room to take hold of Cho's shoulders. "How is she? Did she say anything?" His eyes searched Cho's of any indication for deception as he answered.

"I think she'll be fine Jane, just smoke inhalation which is probably easy to treat... isn't it?" he looked over at Hightower, who looked up from filling out some forms the receptionist had handed her, answered him by shrugging her shoulders and looking up at him.

"Did she say anything though? Was she in pain?" Jane's voice lowered to a whisper as he thought about what he just said. He had caused this, this was his entire fault. One of his plans going wrong had finally caused Lisbon to get hurt...

"Jane" Cho reassured, "She's in the best hands, look" he pointed over to the medical personnel working around her.

Jane walked up to the window outside the trauma bay, watching doctors and nurses surround the only occupied bed. A lone tear ran down his face, one he didn't bother to wipe away as his eyes fluttered closed out of sheer guilt. Soon, a loud beeping sound could be heard and he opened his eyes only to find one of the doctors giving her CPR. "Cho!" he shouted, who soon ran over to stand next to him. "What's happening?" More tears ran down his cheeks and he blinked them away furiously as he placed his hands on the glass in front of him.

"C'mon Jane" Cho said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder to lead him away from the window. "Leave them to it, they know what they're doing"

"Mr Patrick Jane?" a nurse with a clipboard asked the waiting room.

"That's me" Jane replied, this time wiping the tears that flowed from his eyes as he nodded a thank you to Cho and followed the nurse through some double doors marked 'Triage'.

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><p>Back in the waiting room Cho slumped down into the seat next to Hightower. It didn't feel awkward, her being his boss; it just felt like two people worried about their friends. But the silence was still difficult to break, eventually Cho decided to give it a go. "Can I help you with..." he said, pointing to one of the forms Hightower was still filling out in her lap.<p>

"Sure" she said back, giving him a weak smile as she handed him the form underneath titled 'Teresa Lisbon'.

Taking the pen attached to the top of the clipboard, he began to fill out the necessary form in front of him, filling in allergies, address, date of birth and next of kin. Cho prided himself on knowing his co-workers well enough to be able to fill it out with ease, however when he got to the 'next of kin' section he looked back up at his boss. "Who is Lisbon's-"

"Jane" she answered immediately, not looking up from her form.

"Really?" a hint of laughter in his voice. He hadn't known they had got so close, he didn't know she trusted him that much. He had never met her brothers, or any other family members of hers, simply because she had never mentioned them. However, he always believed they had been close, purely because of the pictures that were littered around her office.

"Believe me, I didn't know either until a month ago when she got hit on the head". At the time, her medical records had to be transferred to the hospital and Hightower had been the one to deliver them. When asking to see her, the doctors had then refused her access, only allowing Jane to go and pick her up.

Grace then came running though the doors, out of breath, looking around the waiting room desperately. "Cho!" she shouted running over to him. "How is she?"

"She's in there now" He said, motioning towards the trauma bay area.

"But is she-"

"She's in the best hands now Van Pelt" Hightower interjected quickly. "We've just got to sit and wait".

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><p>"Sir, please sit still" stated the nurse who was currently trying to hold Jane still on the gurney. "A doctor will come by in a minute to check-"<p>

"I don't care" Jane insisted, for the last 20 minutes he had been dying to get this nurse to release him. She had been saying that a doctor would be coming shortly for half that time but as usual, he still hadn't seen one. He wasn't worried about himself however, he also wasn't worried that there were no doctors coming to see him, and he had hoped Lisbon had been keeping them occupied. The last time he had seen her she was coding in the trauma bay and he couldn't help but fear the worst. "I just want to see Lisbon"

"I know sir, but you have still suffered smoke inhalation and-"

"I don't _care_" he urged. "I am fine, I'm breathing just fine and I can see fine, talk fine, walk fine. I am _fine_." He emphasised his point by taking a deep breath which to his relief didn't cause him to cough. The last thing he wanted to do was show her that he was in fact injured. That would only cause her to admit him and that would be a worse waste of his time.

"Sir, the doctor-"

"Well the doctor isn't here is he? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and check on Lisbon" he said, swiftly sliding himself off the gurney as he hurried out the curtained cubicle. Thankfully, although the nurse had insisted that he change into a hospital gown, he had downright refused, claiming that he would never do it unless forced. The nurse had not mentioned it since, deciding that she could probably work around it. Opening the doors back to the waiting room, he walked straight over to Cho after realising Lisbon was no longer in the Trauma unit since it was now occupied by just a single nurse who looked like she was cleaning up.

"She's alright Jane," said Hightower as she stood up and walked towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "They got her heart started again and she's been taken upstairs for some more treatment," she said, smiling at him reassuringly. "she's going to be fine. The doctors were hopeful-"

"Hopeful!" Jane gasped, aggravating his already sore throat. "I need to go see her...now!"

"Has your doctor said you're fit to be walking about like this?" Cho asked, seeing Jane rub his throat gently.

"Of course," said Jane, now walking off towards the sign saying 'Elevator'. Stopping suddenly, he turned back to Hightower. "Where is she?"

"4th floor, ask at the desk, don't know what room" she said as she began to walk towards him, eager to see her too.

Jane had soon turned around and continued walking towards his destination. Finally, after a few wrong turns, he had reached the lift, pressing the button to the side of it angrily as if it would come quicker if he did. Looking to the sign at the side, he scanned down the long list which stated which level contained which department. Level 4; Gynaecology, Oncology, Critical Care. Coming to the conclusion that Lisbon was neither pregnant nor suffering from cancer, he settled for the fact she was in ICU. Hearing the sound of footsteps down the corridor he turned to see Madeline accompanied by Van Pelt and Cho walking up to him, a sad look on their face.

"She's in..." Jane said, but he couldn't get the words to come out. The guilt was finally catching up to him.

"I know Jane" Cho said as he came round to press the button for the lift again.

Interrupting their thoughts, the gentle 'ding' of the elevator signalled its arrival at their floor as the doors opened. All of them stepped inside, ready to make the journey to see their injured friend.

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><p><strong>TBC...<strong>

**Thankyou for reading if you've got this far. As for the story alerts and reviews I've been getting, a huge thankyou. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Ball of Fire. Chapter 6.**

After what seemed like minutes later, the elevator doors opened, revealing a much calmer floor compared to what they have been on previously. Stepping out, they followed the signs to the nurses' station.

"I need to call Rigsby" said Cho to the rest of them, "He'll need to get-"

"I've already called him" interrupted Van Pelt as they reached the currently un-manned desk. "He's called 911 because of the fire, although I hear there isn't much left of the house. He'll come by later, well..." she quickly checked the time on her phone. 17:09 "probably tomorrow."

"Can I help you?" asked a nurse as she came up beside them.

"Yes," Jane answered eagerly as he stepped towards her. "Teresa Lis-"

"Ah yes, smoke inhalation. One at a time, sorry" smiled the nurse as she turned around and walked in the opposite direction. "Follow me".

They were all taken by surprise at how a nurse that worked in the critical care could me so... chipper. Maybe it was just a way of coping with what she saw every day, or maybe it was a way of making her patients feel more comfortable. None the less, Jane stepped forward, not looking back and followed her through a set of doors marked 'sterile area'. "How is she?" he asked her as she closed the door behind him.

The smile on her face wavered.

"She'll be ok honey" she said, placing a gentle hand on Jane's shoulder. "She's just going to need some time."

Jane did his best not to throw her hand away but remained still as she pointed over to a door in the corner.

"The one at the end is her, take all the time you need; I understand she asked for you once or twice. A doctor will be by soon to check on her," said the nurse kindly, as she gave him another big smile.

Jane didn't need to be told twice, he made his way over to the door uttering a small 'thanks' in return for her help. He was in no mood to be thankful right now, he just needed to see her. He made it to the window before he had to stop himself. From what he could see through the frosted class she looked so small, even smaller than normal. She occupied a large bed, ones probably reserved for patients such as her and her hair was spread out over the pillow wildly. Opening the door quietly, as though he would wake her he entered her room and walked up beside her bed. She looked so much worse now he could see her for real. A tube had been placed down her throat and taped by the side of her mouth, obscuring some of her face. The monotonous bleeping of the heart rate monitor filled his ears as well as the whooshing sound of a blood pressure cuff filling up. She was covered in a thin sheet up to her chest, the doctor's obviously knowing the last thing she needed right now was to overheat. She had been cut free of her ruined clothes and was now wearing a white hospital gown embellished by the name of the hospital near her breast.

He took hold of one of her hands, careful of the wires attached to it, as he sat down on the chair next to her bed. He hated to see her so still, so lifeless, it wasn't something he ever wanted to see again. "Teresa" he whispered, careful to keep his voice down as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. The ventilator gave a 'huff' as her chest filled with air. "I'm sorry Teresa. I'm so sorry" he said, his eyes slowly filling with tears but she didn't as much as twitch in response.

The door opened behind him, causing him to almost leap out of his chair in surprise. "Sorry sir" replied the man in the doorway. He wore a long white coat which matched his hair and a set of blue scrubs underneath. He obviously took pride in his appearance as Jane could see as he stood up, looking at the neatly combed hair, expensive looking glasses and comfortable yet polished shoes. "Doctor Hanson" he said holding out his hand to Jane who shook it politely. "I'm currently treating Miss Lisbon"

"How is she, the nurse said she'd be fine" Jane said impatiently, hoping he'd hurry up.

"She will, in time." The doctor replied as he picked up her chart from the end of her bed. "We've taken her to have a chest x-ray and we're currently waiting on the results. Following that, if we need a further look we'll perform a bronchoscopy and further tests. She's doing well so far however so we doubt we'll need to do one because the oxygen we're giving her now is working wonders."

"Does she look like she's doing wonders to you?" Jane said pointing towards her as her ventilator let out a gentle rush of air.

"Sir, I assure you, she is doing better than most patients would be in her condition."

Jane let out a defeated huff as he sat back down to take her hand. Keeping his voice lower this time he said, "When do you think she'll wake up?"

"She's sedated at the moment because her lungs are still sore, but we'll take her off it tomorrow and see how she does. Are you..." he looked at his chart again. "Jane?"

Keeping his eyes focussed on the woman in front of him he gave him a simple, "Yeah" in response.

"She asked for you, a lot," said Doctor Hanson "well as best as she could with a tube down her throat."

"What did she say?" Jane asked, turning towards him.

"Just kept saying your name when we took her for x-ray, when we said you were just outside she settled down and went back to sleep."

"Really?" Jane said, grinning. Maybe she didn't hate him after all. However, it still didn't take away the guilt he felt. It was his fault she was here, lifeless in this hospital bed.

Nodding his head, the doctor quietly exited the room, turning off the light as he went letting the room fill with just the light from the window from the corridor. It wasn't long before staring at Lisbon had become so exhausting he had rested his head on her bedside and fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC...<br>**

**Thankyou very muchly for the reviews, they're appreciated.**

**x **


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